Healthy Eating: Changing Your Eating Habits

Introduction

The food you eat can affect your health and your risk for certain
diseases. To eat healthier food, you may need to change some of your daily
habits. You also may need to change some things in your environment. Your
environment includes everything around you, like your home or the place you
work.

You don't need to make huge changes to eat healthier. And
you don't have to change your habits all at the same time. It's best to set
small goals and change your habits a little bit at a time. Over time, small
changes can make a big difference in your health.

This information
will help you make useful changes for healthy eating.

Changing your eating habits and your environment can help you
eat healthier foods.

A healthy diet is good for your overall
health. It also can help you reach a healthy weight and stay there.

To improve your eating habits, it's best to make small lifestyle
changes that you can keep doing over time.

Every day
you make choices about what you eat and how much you eat. Think about how your
daily routine and your environment affect these choices. Do you tend to skip
meals when you get busy? Do you eat out a lot?

Habits like these
can trigger unhealthy eating. But there are things you can do to avoid
unhealthy eating.

Plan your meals. Write out a menu for several days at a time, and
then make a grocery list for that menu. Post your menu on the
refrigerator.

When you can, double a healthy recipe and freeze part of it to
use for meals on busy nights.

Plan your meals and snacks so you eat healthy foods,
rather than waiting until you are hungry and grabbing something at the
convenience store.

Try not to snack while watching TV, working at the computer,
driving, or making meals. You may end up eating when you aren't hungry. Plan
your meals and healthy snacks ahead of time, and stay with your plan.

Eating out

When you eat out, try to choose something healthy. Find
restaurants that have heart-healthy items marked on their menus, and choose
these items when possible. If you eat fast food, order the smallest burger,
such as the child-sized, instead of a double or triple burger. Find places that
let you choose healthy sides like fruit, salad, or milk instead of french fries
and soft drinks.

Eat smaller portions at restaurants by sharing a meal or taking
some food home. Restaurants often give you much larger portions than you need.

If you order fast foods, find ways to make these foods into a
meal. For example, when you order a pizza, eat it at home with a salad, milk,
and fruit.

Test Your Knowledge

Whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy,
vegetables, and fruits should be part of your regular meal plan. Keep plenty of
these foods at home, and add them to your shopping list. This way, you can make
healthy eating a habit.

Whole grains, lean meats, low-fat dairy,
vegetables, and fruits should be part of your regular meal plan. Keep plenty of
these foods at home, and add them to your shopping list. This way, you can make
healthy eating a habit.

Eating healthy foods is good for your overall health. With a healthy
diet, your body can get the nutrients it needs to stay strong and work well.
And you lower your risk for high cholesterol, heart disease, high blood
pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and other health problems.

A healthy diet is important no matter what size
you are. You can improve your health by eating foods that are good for you no
matter what you weigh.

Test Your Knowledge

Improving your diet is good for your overall
health. You can lower your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure,
diabetes, stroke, and other health problems. A healthy diet is important for
your health no matter what size you are.

Improving your diet is good for your overall
health. You can lower your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure,
diabetes, stroke, and other health problems. A healthy diet is important for
your health no matter what size you are.

To eat a
healthy diet, you may need to make some changes. Remember that you can change
your eating habits a little bit at a time. Small changes are easier to make and
can lead to better health.

Here are some ways to make healthy
changes in your eating habits:

Keep more fruits, low-fat dairy products (low-fat milk and
low-fat yogurt), vegetables, and whole-grain foods at home and at work. Focus
on adding healthy food to your diet, rather than just taking unhealthy foods
away.

Try to eat a family meal every day at the
kitchen or dining table. This will help you focus on eating healthy
meals.

Buy a healthy-recipe book, and cook for yourself. Chew gum
when you cook so you won't be tempted to snack on the
ingredients.

Pack a healthy lunch and snacks for work. This lets
you have more control over what you eat.

Put your snacks on a plate
instead of eating from the package. This helps you control how much you
eat.

Don't skip or delay meals, and be sure to schedule your
snacks. If you ignore your feelings of hunger, you may end up eating too much
or choosing an unhealthy snack. If you often feel too hungry, it can cause you
to focus a lot on food.

Eat your meals with others when you can. Relax and enjoy
your meals, and don't eat too fast. Try to make healthy eating a pleasure, not
a chore.

This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use.
How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.